It's had tacks in it, And splinters, 5 And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor— Bare. 97 examples: The broken edges of such cylinders were smooth and lacked prominent splinters… [6]:35, Martin Luther King Jr., an American civil rights activist and leader, referenced "Mother to Son" at least thirteen times in his public appearances, including during his "I Have a Dream" speech. So, boy, don't you turn back. Crystal means easy, expensive, luxury, clear glass with a tiny bit of lead, and staircase is a good metaphor because every step can represent a year, challenges, struggles, so the mother is basically saying that life hasn't been easy, or luxurious, or that she hasn't been rich, and that each year there has been challenges, struggles, and life hasn't been clear. 1. One critic notes that "it seems as though the mother’s spartan accommodation, hardscrabble life, and unadorned language all converge on the word bare. However, she still climbs on, reaching landings, turning corners, and persevering in the dark when there is no light. I’se been a-climbin’ on, But all the time . But the poem also argues that black people can overcome these difficulties through persistence, resilience, and mutual support. So boy, don't you turn back. Poetic voice is defined as the the imagined role an author assumes as the speaker of the poem. Don’t you set down on the steps ’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. What do the Tacks, and Splinters Symbolize? But all the time I’se been a-climbin’ on, And reachin’ landin’s, And turnin’ corners, And sometimes goin’ in the dark Where there ain’t been no light. ), "Listening to What the Ear Demands: Langston Hughes and His Critics", "The Virtuosity of Langston Hughes: Persona, Rhetoric, and Iconography in The Weary Blues", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mother_to_Son&oldid=1010675310, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 6 March 2021, at 18:32. The poem describes the difficulties that black people face in a racist society, alluding to the many obstacles and dangers that racism throws in their way—obstacles and dangers that white people don’t have to face. A careful glimpse at this literary analysis shows that Langston has skilfully employed these devices to express the sentiments of a mother and the reality of life. Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair- Life has not been beautiful, transparent, or easy forthe mother. (2-7). Readers of all backgrounds can come to this poem and feel themselves either in the shoes of the child or the mother, or perhaps both. It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor— In his poem, Langston Hughes uses the image of a staircase to symbolize a difficult life that's still worth climbing. [5], "Mother to Son" is the first of several of Hughes's poems that present strong women. Bare. [6]:35 As the woman is climbing the stairs, she becomes almost comparable to a religious figure ascending into the heavens, yet remains simply human. The lines stated below can be used when motivating children to rise again after failure and face the challenges of life confidently. So boy, don’t you turn back. Don't you set down on the steps. And boards torn up, Don't you set down on the steps 'Cause you finds it's kinder hard. So, boy, don't you turn back. Literary devices are tools that enable the writers to present their ideas, emotions, and feelings with the use of these devices. It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor— Bare. Copyright © 2021 Literary Devices. See Page 1. Since the staircase is a metaphor for life, the speaker is saying that in life you are not protected, there is no cushioning, you are exposed to the world, to society. And turnin’ corners, Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. And places with no carpet on the floor— She first describes the struggles she has faced and then urges him to continue moving forward. It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor— Bare. All Rights Reserved. Well, son, I'll tell you: Life for me ain't been no crystal stair. But all the time I'se been a-climbin' on, 10 And reachin' landin's, And turnin' corners, And sometimes goin' in the dark Where there ain't been no light. In Mexico, he became a wealthy landowner and lawy… 1. The analysis of some of the literary devices used in this poem has been given below. Don't you set down on the steps. [7] R. Baxter Miller writes that the "individual lines skillfully blend anapestic, iambic, and trochaic cadences". Don't you set down on the steps 'Cause you finds it's kinder hard. The stair is bare. Don’t you set down on the steps It was referenced by Martin Luther King Jr. several times in his speeches during the civil rights movement, and has been analyzed by several critics, notably for its style and representation of the mother. So boy, don’t you turn back. But all the time I’se been a-climbin’ on, And reachin’ landin’s, And turnin’ corners, And sometimes goin’ in the dark Where there ain’t been no light. 2. So boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps ’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. The mother says to her son that life has not been a “crystal stair” – it has had tacks and splinters and torn boards on it, as well as places without carpet. It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor --Bare. But all the time. Well, son, I’ll tell you: And splinters, Interpretation Line(s) -Meaning Mother to Son - A message from a mother to her son. They both represent a mother’s pain and sufferings in her life being conveyed to her son.. She begins by telling the son that life is not a crystal stair, that it has tacks and splinters, and all the boards are torn up and it doesn’t even have carpet in some places. A metaphor is a literary device that compares one element to something else. Metaphors connect things that readers already know to a new element or way of seeing the world. But all the time I'se been a-climbin' on, And reachin' landin's, And turnin' corners, And sometimes goin' in the dark Where there ain't been no light. Miller concludes that "Her internal light illuminates the outer world. It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor --Bare. Don't you set down on the steps. It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor— Bare. Here are all the word lists to support the reading of Grade 11 Unit 5's texts from SpringBoard's Common Core ELA … Where there ain't been no light. The mother states that she has been climbing up the stairs and turning corners and how sometimes it goes dark but do not turn back. It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor-Bare. And reachin’ landin’s, A vocabulary list featuring "Mother to Son". I'se been a-climbin' on, And reachin' landin's, And turnin' corners, And sometimes goin' in the dark. Denied a chance to take the Oklahoma bar exam, Hughes’s father went first to Missouri and then, still unable to become a lawyer, left his wife and son to move first to Cuba and then to Mexico. Hughes was born in in 1902 in Joplin, Missouri, to James Nathaniel and Carrie Mercer Langston Hughes, who separated shortly after their son’s birth. Look, let's come down to brass tacks and decide how to handle the situation. Where there ain't been no light. So boy, don'tyou turn back. It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor— Bare. Where there ain’t been no light. So, boy, don't you turn back. I'se been a-climbin' on, And reachin' landin's, And turnin' corners, And sometimes goin' in the dark. While it is easy to conflate the writer and the speaker as the same person, this is … But all the time I'se been a-climbin' on, And reachin' landin's, And turnin' corners, And sometimes goin' in the dark Where there ain't been no light. Hughes's poems "Mother to Son", "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", and "Harlem" were described in the Encyclopedia of African-American Writing as "anthems of black America". But all the time I'se been a-climbin' on, And reachin' landin's, And turnin' corners, And sometimes goin' in the dark Where there ain't been no light. But all the time I’se been a-climbin’ on, And reachin’ landin’s, And turnin’ corners, And sometimes goin’ in the dark Where there ain’t been no light. Don't you set down on the steps. Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it, Since these items are on every step along the way, her journey through life has ALWAYS been painful and challenging. So boy, don’t you turn back. (2018). 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